The Lighthouse
0.5/4
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe
Rated R for Sexual Content, Nudity, Violence, Disturbing Images, and Some Language
I consider being a film critic to be a job. When I tell people this, they either humor me or scoff because I don't get paid and no one reads my reviews anymore. But I do consider this to be work. And "The Lighthouse" is a prime example of why watching movies can be a chore.
It's hard to imagine a movie more banal, more self-indulgent and more pointless than "The Lighthouse." This is one of those movies where the characters talk and talk but don't say anything, do bizarre things for no apparent purpose, and the director occasionally breaks up the monotony with surreal images and asides. In other words, it's an attempt for a wannabe director to show off.
That's so strange, though, since this film was co-written and directed by Robert Eggers, who made "The Witch" a few years ago. I enjoyed that psychological historical horror movie. It wasn't scary in the traditional sense, but it was intense and unsettling. So I suppose it's only natural for him to mine similar territory for his sophomore feature. This time, he gets two name actors in his movie and a stronger marketing campaign. Unfortunately, he hits the dreaded sophomore slump that has afflicted many filmmakers who hit it big. Like the earlier feature, this is a psychological thriller that treads the line of sanity. But a movie like this must tread a fine line, and whatever magic Eggers had for his first film has eluded him here. The balance is consistently off. And believe me, that's the least of the film's problems.
Since the plot almost never makes any sense, I'll establish the set-up. Two men are sent to run a lighthouse around the turn of the last century. They are Thomas Wake (Dafoe) and Ephraim Winslow (Pattinson). The two don't exactly hit it off, as they are polar opposites. Wake is demanding, frequently drunk and never shuts up. Ephraim is quiet, by the book, and doesn't drink. But strange things start to happen that make Ephraim question his own sanity.
And that's all I got from this movie. There's some business with Wake's superstitions and Ephraim's fantasies about a mermaid (Valeriia Karaman), but for the most part it's a lot of nonsense. And the longer it goes on, the less sense it makes. I was going to give the film points attempting something difficult, but even taking that into consideration, the film pushed my patience to the breaking point. Halfway through the film I was hoping a giant wave would destroy the lighthouse and kill Wake and Ephraim, if only I could go home.
The screenplay is a huge problem. This is one of those movies where one character spends a total of 90 minutes spouting off "colorful" dialogue while the other guy waits to inject his own verbal diarrhea in. It's usually Wake, although Ephraim gets his own pointless monologues too. The effect is deadening. At least "My Dinner with Andre" made sense, and we didn't have to watch Wally and Andre get drunk and fight each other (repeatedly). If nothing else, it proves that few things are more irritating than listening to two drunks debate philosophy or whatever while you're sober.
The other problem is Robert Pattinson. While he did a solid job in "The Lost City of Z," his range is limited. And he certainly doesn't have the talent or presence to hold his own against a seasoned actor like Willem Dafoe. As annoying as Wake is, Dafoe at least has the charisma to make us pay attention to him. Pattinson can't hold the camera's attention, which makes the film even more unbalanced. I can't say that a more talented or charismatic thespian could have saved "The Lighthouse," but it certainly couldn't have hurt.
Ultimately, "The Lighthouse" fails because it's boring and lacking in any sort of sense or consistency. A scene starts out one way then halfway through it does a 180 for no apparent reason. Scenes also never seem to end. More than a handful start out with some energy but lose it after they go on for far too long. On the other hand, there are others that are so bizarre that the approach the level of camp. Like the utterly ridiculous scenes of male bonding, or the blink-and-you'll-miss-it sign of homosexual attraction. Like everything else, it's raised then dropped.
I want my time and money back. And payment from the filmmakers for wasting my time.
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe
Rated R for Sexual Content, Nudity, Violence, Disturbing Images, and Some Language
I consider being a film critic to be a job. When I tell people this, they either humor me or scoff because I don't get paid and no one reads my reviews anymore. But I do consider this to be work. And "The Lighthouse" is a prime example of why watching movies can be a chore.
It's hard to imagine a movie more banal, more self-indulgent and more pointless than "The Lighthouse." This is one of those movies where the characters talk and talk but don't say anything, do bizarre things for no apparent purpose, and the director occasionally breaks up the monotony with surreal images and asides. In other words, it's an attempt for a wannabe director to show off.
That's so strange, though, since this film was co-written and directed by Robert Eggers, who made "The Witch" a few years ago. I enjoyed that psychological historical horror movie. It wasn't scary in the traditional sense, but it was intense and unsettling. So I suppose it's only natural for him to mine similar territory for his sophomore feature. This time, he gets two name actors in his movie and a stronger marketing campaign. Unfortunately, he hits the dreaded sophomore slump that has afflicted many filmmakers who hit it big. Like the earlier feature, this is a psychological thriller that treads the line of sanity. But a movie like this must tread a fine line, and whatever magic Eggers had for his first film has eluded him here. The balance is consistently off. And believe me, that's the least of the film's problems.
Since the plot almost never makes any sense, I'll establish the set-up. Two men are sent to run a lighthouse around the turn of the last century. They are Thomas Wake (Dafoe) and Ephraim Winslow (Pattinson). The two don't exactly hit it off, as they are polar opposites. Wake is demanding, frequently drunk and never shuts up. Ephraim is quiet, by the book, and doesn't drink. But strange things start to happen that make Ephraim question his own sanity.
And that's all I got from this movie. There's some business with Wake's superstitions and Ephraim's fantasies about a mermaid (Valeriia Karaman), but for the most part it's a lot of nonsense. And the longer it goes on, the less sense it makes. I was going to give the film points attempting something difficult, but even taking that into consideration, the film pushed my patience to the breaking point. Halfway through the film I was hoping a giant wave would destroy the lighthouse and kill Wake and Ephraim, if only I could go home.
The screenplay is a huge problem. This is one of those movies where one character spends a total of 90 minutes spouting off "colorful" dialogue while the other guy waits to inject his own verbal diarrhea in. It's usually Wake, although Ephraim gets his own pointless monologues too. The effect is deadening. At least "My Dinner with Andre" made sense, and we didn't have to watch Wally and Andre get drunk and fight each other (repeatedly). If nothing else, it proves that few things are more irritating than listening to two drunks debate philosophy or whatever while you're sober.
The other problem is Robert Pattinson. While he did a solid job in "The Lost City of Z," his range is limited. And he certainly doesn't have the talent or presence to hold his own against a seasoned actor like Willem Dafoe. As annoying as Wake is, Dafoe at least has the charisma to make us pay attention to him. Pattinson can't hold the camera's attention, which makes the film even more unbalanced. I can't say that a more talented or charismatic thespian could have saved "The Lighthouse," but it certainly couldn't have hurt.
Ultimately, "The Lighthouse" fails because it's boring and lacking in any sort of sense or consistency. A scene starts out one way then halfway through it does a 180 for no apparent reason. Scenes also never seem to end. More than a handful start out with some energy but lose it after they go on for far too long. On the other hand, there are others that are so bizarre that the approach the level of camp. Like the utterly ridiculous scenes of male bonding, or the blink-and-you'll-miss-it sign of homosexual attraction. Like everything else, it's raised then dropped.
I want my time and money back. And payment from the filmmakers for wasting my time.
Your views of film are just too rigid. Surreal films are not meant to make sense. This movie felt like a nightmare in a great way.
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